A Change of Command saw 1 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery leadership pass from departing Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Jordan Beatty to LCol J. Patrick (Paddy) Knox at a CFB Shilo ceremony on Aug. 20.

 

“1RCHA – you are the heart of our [nation’s] guns and the kings of battle,” LCol Beatty addressed troops and guests in his farewell speech. “And as Warrant Officer Kennedy says, St. Barbara shines down upon you. Whither right and glory lead. Ubique!”

St. Barbara is the patron Saint of gunners and artillery personnel.

Offering salutations to the incoming LCol Knox, he said the regiment is ready for its next steps.

“It is reorganized and optimized for the next mission to Latvia and to receive the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). They are trained in digital fires, able to shoot and move or disperse at great distances and dig in to survive. They know how to deploy to the high Arctic and manage extreme conditions. And most importantly, they know that the mission never stops; there is always more to learn and improve in the ultimate service to Canada.”

LCol Beatty sat down with Shilo Stag News and shared reflections on his two years as commander of the artillery regiment. Arriving at the Westman base from Ottawa in June of 2024 with his wife and four children, he was familiar with CFB Shilo from previous training. He was fresh off Operation PROTEUS in Israel, and even after taking command of 1RCHA, had to return to the Middle East to finish his mission.

He said that upon taking command, he had goals he wanted to achieve, which he believes he has accomplished.

Preparing the battery for deployment to Latvia in a short five-month timeframe to lead his first Multi-National NATO Battalion, and for a future year-long deployment in 2027, he immediately started exercises. This included assessments of where they were currently and where they needed to improve.

“It was a very clear purpose.”

He said he was less concerned about providing a Battery for the multinational brigade, as the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery has been supplying personnel for several years. Instead, he focused on preparing the regiment for its first time as the headquarters for the Operation REASSURANCE mission in Latvia.

While routines on missions are regularly carried out, and the first was a six-month deployment with fewer people, LCol Beatty also had in his sights the year-long 2027 deployment, which will have the most troop participation since the Afghanistan mission.
“I was concerned about the tempo of the people and the fatigue of deploying for more than a year. Part of that is just being ready to do those rear party and rear operations tasks.”

He explained that while on deployment, routines are readily maintained. These need to be continued when back home.

“It’s pretty clear when you have a purpose deploying and you know how to deploy, you fall into a new headquarters, and you do the mission, but everything else can’t fall apart back home. You have to be able to come back and continue that.”

The regiment exceeded its mission goal in Latvia: to deter Russian aggression. It also accomplished goals under Operation NANOOK, protecting Canada’s northern sovereignty.

“The Gunners you see on parade today represent some of the best-trained soldiers Canada has to offer. They have been challenged, stumbled, succeeded, adapted and continued the fight. There is no other way.”

“We can not be perfect, but we certainly can be professional. Their profession is to provide lethal indirect fires for the Army. The whole team, whether it be technicians, administrators, cooks, sensor operators, observers, joint terminal attack controllers, they all bring that singular purpose into execution,” he said in his ceremony speech.

LCol Beatty said that during his time leading the regiment, as well as sharing his knowledge by leading by example, he also learned and has takeaways from his time as commander of 1RCHA. He said it’s the best job and the worst job alluding to the famous quote from Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times and worst of times.” He learned additional ways to persevere and persist.

Managing a regiment requires a lot of effort and is a large responsibility that he took seriously. He acknowledged that any decision he made didn’t just affect the soldiers on deployment but also reverberated through soldiers and families back home. He said making the right decision, correctly, is crucial.

“It’s very rewarding to have a strong team succeed, but it’s also extremely challenging when you have to deal with personnel issues, things that don’t go your way – You know, just life,” he said, adding that it can start to weigh on a person over time.
As a senior officer, there’s a new level of patience required to let something the size of a regiment learn and practice to get better, he said.

“I’ve learned a bit more of that. [As a leader] you’re coming into an environment that you remember from being a younger officer, but now you’re the most senior person. You have to remember that you have gained a lot of experience. So, now you’re coming back with experience; how can you pass it on? I learned a lot, like how to try and pass on some of that knowledge indirectly, without lecturing the whole house.”

Leadership by example is something he strived for.  As a senior leader, appropriately using influence on a larger unit creates the right direction for a well-trained and balanced regiment.

“Something I’ll carry with me, and that I will always talk about, is just how the people are important. It is really people that make the army work. It’s not the equipment, or even the history of things – which are big parts of everything. But it’s the people. If people want to do the job and have pride in their work, they are the ones who will make it happen. They’re going to find a way to make it happen. They’re going to lead others in the right direction, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Even though he is leaving CFB Shilo and 1 RCHA to lead at a higher level at Ottawa headquarters, he said he wants to carry with him the drive to motivate others and maintain momentum during difficult missions.